With this budget, the Government have shown us they define ‘transformational’ about as well as Treasury defines ‘hack’.

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With this budget, the Government have shown us they define ‘transformational’ about as well as Treasury defines ‘hack’.

I’m sick of describing every move as a ‘great first step’. We need bold leaps, not baby confidence trepidation.

Yes, there’s some money for services that have ben underfunded, and yes Grant promised to stop appeasing our corporate overlord by lifting the debt profile to 25% but note Grant promises to go on a diet later in public spending so all that well being we are given will have to be shoehorned into a new austerity straightjacket.

I suppose that’s ‘transformative’ but not in a positive way.

Wellbeing budget fails to deliver for beneficiaries and public housing – AAAP

The wellbeing budget has failed to introduce additional meaningful and immediate measures to improve the wellbeing of beneficiaries’ lives.

“The Government’s wellbeing budget showed a lack of new initiatives to address rising poverty and inequality, with the key welfare announcement being a legislative change which would index benefit levels to the average wage”, says Ricardo Menendez March, Auckland Action Against Poverty Coordinator.

“The indexing of benefit levels to the average wage is a tokenistic move by Government that does not address the calls by the Welfare Expert Advisory Group for an urgent increase of core benefit levels of up to 47%. The projected increase in beneficiaries’ incomes as a result of the indexing changes will only result in an additional $27-$47 a week by 2023, which is far less than what the WEAG recommended.

“The net change of incomes as a result of indexing benefits to the average wage is small increase when the costs of living continue to increase, and the housing crisis shows little signs of easing for those on low-income.

“We are concerned there’s no additional funding for the Housing and Urban Development (HUD), or new money for public housing. With the social housing waiting list continues to reach record levels, there is a desperate need for additional funding for more state homes for the people on the waiting list. With no additional funding going to Kiwibuild either it’s difficult to see how the Government plans to tackle the housing crisis.

“The only major announcement for public housing had come before budget day, with the pre-budget announcement of $197 million for the Housing First Initiative for the next four years to fund 1,044 new places for long-term homeless people. With only 6,400 state homes planned for the next four years and over 11,000 families currently waiting for a state home we expected additional funding to match the current need of state housing.

“The ability for the Government to deliver true wellbeing for low income families is hampered by its Budget Responsibility Rules. Implementing the full Welfare Expert Advisory Group recommendations would have taken the Government’s debt and expenditure beyond what it currently allows itself, hindering the pace the Government can reduce poverty by.

“The Government needs to introduce a wider range of welfare reforms and invest on public housing if it is serious about the wellbeing of low-income people. This budget, unfortunately, failed to deliver on these two crucial issues.

The biggest losers here are the hundreds of thousands of New Zealnder’s desperately needing hope in mental health, poverty, low income wages and housing who were cruelly let down by the hacking/leaking drama played out by politicians who care less for the issues and more for the cheap headlines.

Bryan Bruce and I will host a public discussion on The People’ Budget, 6.30pm at Otahuhu Town Hall to discuss if neoliberalism can provide a well being budget with the following panelists…

  • Law Professor and Free Trade critic, Professor Jane Kelsey
  • Economist and commentator Rod Oram
  • Head of Greenpeace, Russel Norman
  • Former Green MP,  Sue Bradford
  • Julia Amua Whaipooti – JustSpeak Board member. Senior advisor at the Office of the Children’s Commissioner and member of the Criminal Justice Advisory Group
  • Auckland City Councillor Efeso Collins
  • New Zealander of the Year, Dr Lance O’Sullivan

…and guest commentators…

TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com
  • Kerri Nuku Co-President of Nurses Union
  • Economist Ganesh Nana
  • Professor Lisa Marriott from Victoria University
  • Kyle MacDonald psychotherapist and Herald columnist
  • Unionist Annie Newman from Living Wage
  • Ricardo Mendez from Auckland Action Against  Poverty
  • Professor Wayne Hope from AUT Communications School
  • Political commentator Chris Trotter

…please click here to confirm your attendance, it will be played 8pm Sunday on the NZ Public Television Trust and The Daily Blog.

43 COMMENTS

  1. So two things the government has a monopoly on, money and violence. Okay now it would be my pleasure if I could spoil all the fun. Why do we buy into this bullshit axiom of equality today. Marx was deadset against equality calling it a bourgeoisie notion. Marx said that people are not equal. So I’ll point out some small tactical differences between left and right wing budgets because it’s more complex.

    I think the right wing coalition partner that gave Labour its budget today is the most ingenious way to practice the narcissism of small differences, producing a better right wing budget than the right wing. So this is honest right wing economic policy that takes the poor from the communists so that they don’t revolution to nationalise the means of production. It’s so ingenious and that’s me secretly liking it (must have been something my mother said that I don’t like that makes me like this now).

    Y’know I laugh so hard when some idiot woke lefty attacks me as a right wing ninja for my economic beliefs. One belief that WINZ shouldn’t even be a thing and all the patronising bullshit should get the arse.

    The issue now is that Labour and The Greens have detected let’s call it kiwi bourgeoisie that is totally fed up with the corruptness of the state. Nobody is renouncing there positions when they have every opportunity to resign because they just suck. At this point could you imagine how alone they are as well as being conscious of the fact that the police is getting more and more involved. I think that is a good trend.

    So the lower socioeconomics among us are in deep shit and we are all deep shit with them if we don’t help them out so we have to give them billions and billions of dollars so that we have easy access to a bunch of hard, tough bad arses that don’t take no shit so we can have a talent pool to recruit into the Defence Forces. Oops did I just say that, guess I did. That is what it is to take make deals with and take money from the devil. But it is better to be well aware of all of the dangers than to be sweet talked by some bullshit woke actor trying to spin state violence and money as well being.

  2. “With this budget, the Government have shown us they define ‘transformational’ about as well as Treasury defines ‘hack’.”

    Very good. I laughed ’till I cried. Again.

  3. Basically, a very, very small number of people ( And I use the word ‘people’ advisedly.) have almost all our [export earned] wealth and the banks support them in that endeavour ( I call it a swindle) by feeding off the debt we must put ourselves in to have a reasonable standard of living while we can work and then we hope to eventually die quickly because few of us can afford to ‘retire’. ( Refer Banks, above.)
    That’s my opinion. It’s an anonymous opinion by one person who’s about as worthwhile listening to as the sound of a special-needs blow fly trapped in a beer bottle.
    However. YOU know I’m right. And you, and you too.
    All those wonderful intellecshuls gathering together to yap their heads off like chained up sheep dogs? Zero, will come of it. I’m deeply sorry to say that because it hurts the likes of you @ MB. But nothing will be done, nothing will be achieved, nothing will change.
    The reason for that, is that we have no Leader. No nucleus. No point if focus. No dew point. Neoliberalism has so successfully sold us the logical fallacy that individually, we will surely prosper. Neoliberalism is an Individuality Cult. A cult-like state of manufactured individualism which is by and of itself ironically a highly dangerous and vulnerable state for the individual but hey? I’m an ‘individual’ therefore I’m as free as a bird to be as ensnared as they need me to be for their profits and pleasures.
    As I’ve written before; we need an actor. I’m not joking. I’m deadly serious. Crowd fund a quality actor to act out a script calling for a revolution? Whoever did that, could have AO/NZ off its fat arse and on its flat feet in days. Possibly hours. Look what ronald reagan achieved and the poor bastard had a mental illness to boot? Trump? He’s only a showman. That, is all he is. And yet? There he is. He, arguably, has the most powerful country’s people voting the otherwise idiot in and they now hang on his every idiotic word.
    Since this is the age of the idiocrat? Buy an actor who has some decent abs, a square jaw line and can shoot a machine gun while shouting “ Burn the Banks! Burn the Banks! “
    There’d be fucking chaos. There’d also be no banks left standing sucking out$555 million dollars in profit from us every six months. You won’t see that in the budget. You won’t hear your cadre of high falootin intellecshuls talking like that-there neither.
    People living in cars? Duct tape bubble wrap to your car windows. Makes great insulation and no one can see in. So, double yay!
    Money porn. Accountants? Get out your diddles and/or girl parts.
    https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2019/05/06/571023/westpac-nz-makes-555m-profit-in-six-months

  4. The lack of comments says it all. I’m sure Grant and Jass know what we shades of ’35 think. Know our laughable power and our itchy truth.

    Strange thing is we knew them from the beginning, why we voted for the guy from New Plymouth. Balancers of budgets.

  5. As a sick person, also suffering disabilities, and depending mostly and crap WINZ benefits, I am ANGRY, I am FURIOUS, I am DISGUSTED with this SHIT government, that betrays so many.

    We get nothing worth mentioning, we get an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff mental health approach, we get a ridiculous indexing of benefits to wage rises that are hardly significant.

    We continue to depend on a shit government and system, where it is patronising attitudes by the ones in charge, and where it is bias and discrimination by the bulk of the middle classes against us.

    We get promises and empty delivery, we get hollow words and crap services. We get NO improvements really with this budget.

    I agree totally with AAAP with their criticism, I am and have been at the receiving end of the shit society we have for many years. I am at the ends of my wits.

    I would even support violence against this system, not to kill or harm people, but to destroy the networks and hardware of it, it is the enemy of us poor.

    It is NOT worth living any more for me, the empty words of Princess Jacinda are like treacherous words in my ears, I really hate the PM, I have NO time for her talk and endless hypocrisy.

    I hate New Zealand, a BS country, I hate most people putting up with all this BS.

    • Thanks for the brutal honesty.

      I’m in a similar, rapidly deteriorating, position.

    • @ MARC. I’m sorry to hear you’re ill and at the mercy of a bias and mean WINZ.
      You write:
      “…but to destroy the networks and hardware of it, it is the enemy of us poor…”
      But the poor are the enemy of the poor. We have a hard earned democracy and if that democracy is failing us? Then the collective ‘Us’ must assume responcibility for that by not maintaining [it].
      We must all vote in an informed fashion. If things go pear shaped? Then, that’s likely corruption which should invite ‘direct action’.
      When a politician is voted in, in good faith ? On a “Let’s do this!? ” mantra? And they don’t? Then out they should go. Never mind waiting for years to feebly vote. Fuck that! Out! Today!

  6. It wouldn’t have mattered if the government said “Fuck you – we’re not spending money on ANYTHING”, or if they’d opened the chequebook and spent every last dollar in the accounts – motormouth Bridges would have said the budget was botched regardless.
    I realize he’s the opposition, but does he have to carry on like a rejected schoolboy all the time?

  7. With this budget, the Government have shown us they define ‘transformational’ about as well as Treasury defines ‘hack’. – Bloody brilliant. You summed it up so nicely.

  8. Where are the 100,000 prefab State Houses for New Zealands’ homeless?!

    Britain managed it after WW2 ….why cant we?

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prefabs_in_the_United_Kingdom

    https://www.google.com/search?q=post+ww2+prefab+houses&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjg56nkjcTiAhU88HMBHXoAAdQQsAR6BAgDEAE&biw=1523&bih=706&dpr=1.25

    (John Key Nactional created the housing crisis with unrestricted immigration and overseas buying of New Zealand houses…the Labour coalition must fix it !)

  9. To imagine the Adern government would ever promote fundamental change was to be ill-informed or deluded.

  10. Motor mouth bridges is trying so hard to be relevant him and amy believe their own spin. Every time bridges speaks i cringe its so hard to listen to utter bullshit does he think we are fucken dumb

  11. Ok. I found the piece below on Boingboing.net.
    It’s a report on results from a study into the rich people/poor people conundrum.
    Basically, rich people are either born into wealth thus earnestly believe they earned it because they’re better than anyone else so fuck you, poor people! Or they’re the types who can cheat, lie and steal.
    Either way, us normal, or unlucky people are always going to be behind the 8 ball so to speak. And what’s more worrying is that those rich bastards will very enthusiastically make sure we remain poor to work us harder and harder.
    In AO/NZ’s case? Once the treason that was neoliberalism was unleashed, it gave the riche an opportunity to make full use of their birthright advantages. It also allowed those without having to be concerned by silly old perceptions of honesty, dignity, respect etc for others, to steal away with our stuff and things. And will continue to do so.
    The solution to our societal problems lies within our government which is also where the problem lies.
    I’m going to try to explain what I mean. Bear with…
    It’s obvious from the studies below that rich people are, generally speaking, arseholes so they need to be kept under control. Our government is the only entity capable of doing that via taxation.
    Our government is reliant on the participation of all of us and since rich people are in a minority re voting numbers it is us relatively normal people who should be in control of the vector any democratic government takes because, put simply, there’s more of us. No wonder then that compulsory voting is NEVER discussed on our MSM and yet it’s a legal requirement to be enrolled. They need to see our numbers but God help them if we became compelled by any legal requirement to actually get off our arses and vote.
    In an ideal democratic political environment it’s the majority who should be in control. After all, it’s the mob who’s taxes are spent upon the rich and I think we’re all aware by now of the societal damage that causes.
    In AO/NZ the opposite is the case. The rich, and remember, there’s not that many of them within our population which is by itself tiny comparatively so our number of 1%’ers. The number of 1%’ers must be minute. Several, would be my guess. Is it fair to assume then, that several people control our gubbimint and keep the rest of us under their heal? I think so. I think that’s the case. And look at how that’s working out for us?
    To fix that? We must regain control of our government. Our politicians must be made to act in our best interests. Not, in the interests of rich arseholes who are also liars, cheats, swindlers, grifters and con artists on average.
    Our problems are hardwired into us. Our reluctance to take back control of our government which is in fact under the control of the rich minority is a psychological mechanism the rich deploy against us and is marketing psychology 101. The rich have convinced us that we’re powerless, that we don’t know any better, that we should just be quiet and stay in the kitchen while the old white male grown ups do the deals around the fire place in the lounge.
    I say, fuck that!
    Voting MUST be made compulsory because our governments are not doing the job we , the people, not unreasonably expect of them since we pay their salaries. It’s that simple isn’t it?
    Boingboing.
    https://boingboing.net/2019/05/30/atlas-shoved.html
    The Journal.ie
    https://www.thejournal.ie/readme/opinion-why-do-rich-people-lie-cheat-and-steal-more-than-those-on-low-incomes-4647197-May2019/

    • We (Maori) were rich country boy until the colonial government confiscated much of our land and we owned huge sailing vessels in the 1860s which we sailed overseas to trade nek minute the settlers wanted more land and war broke out nek minute we are poor, landless , language outlawed and we are still fighting for everything despite being told ‘we are one people” rah rah what a load of bull,we are one people my arse.

    • +100…yes agree voting must be made compulsory

      …and kids should be enrolled to vote in secondary school

      ….with education on how the political system works

    • I agree with your sentiments CB, but compulsory voting in Oz has not worked for the populace. They are well aware that corruption and rigging is baked into the system. The government is becoming, or is the fig leaf for corporate governance. Cheers and keep ranting. Kiwis are too complaisant

  12. Children’s Commissioner Andrew Becroft said indexing benefits to wage growth was the single best thing Government could do to reduce child poverty.

    “It is, in principle, entirely the right thing to do,” he told the Herald. “Because it ensures enduring parity with wages.”

    But he also felt there needed to be a “catch-up” increase in payments which took into account the fact that benefit levels had fallen behind over the last 25 years.

    “That’s what we are waiting for,” Becroft said.

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12235929

    • That’s so funny because anyone in the work force knows that wages are dropping like stones in real terms. In Auckland you are probably better off on a benefit because the accomodation supplement will push up your income and you have less expenses than minimum wages.

      Even worse many workers (and I think about 40% of NZ workforce are on minimum wages) now need huge huge benefit top ups by taxpayers to work low end jobs for corporations and employers who are very wealthy but don’t need to pay any more, because our welfare system will pay for their workers to work for them on their behalf and ensure there are plenty of new arrivals and hundreds of thousands of work permits given out to overseas nationals to work the crap jobs every year with free residency if they take the shit jobs and conditions for a couple of years, so there is zero reason to make a pay increase aka link below.

      “A Glen Innes Pak’nSave owner, worth an estimated $65m, was paying one of the lowest rates as far as collective agreements go in Auckland supermarkets, FIRST Union’s Mandeep Bela said.

      The union is in the process of bargaining at Hastings Pak’nSave where workers recently resorted to strike action. At mediation, the owner offered a 0 per cent pay rise for the 2018 year, Bela said.

      Bela said inequality was a problem for New Zealand and “enough is enough”.

      “When we have supermarket owners banking some of the largest profits while paying staff some of the lowest wages in the country it just doesn’t make sense. How have we got to this?”

      https://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503462&objectid=12108780

      https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/106288425/supermarket-owners-banking-super-profits-nbr-rich-list-shows

      aka

      • Of course long term, this is not sustainable and NZ will go from a first/second world style of living to a third world style of living aka Asia and the Middle East that seems to be policy makers dream, with no social welfare and massive levels of inequality with the super rich in luxury tower blocks and gated holdings and the poor and disabled begging on the streets and a street ‘trader’ economy with little high value goods left as we have given away our natural assets like water and sand already. Then they will lobby to get the ‘polluters’ back and have the coal mines and fracking at full capacity.

        You have to ask why would any county have policies to export profits, give away resources, while importing low paid and low skilled workers and retirees and drug smugglers and swindlers with fake documentation and create an entire Ponzi around it – while ignoring the local population who through various polices such as benefit abatements and high student loans and fees and wages and conditions so low now you are better off on a benefit.

        Personally find it mind boggling, when the government, unions and left commentators must be able to work out (surely) come permanent residency they will have another circa 100,000 per year low waged workers to support for welfare, for housing, for health care and education… and the squeeze continues… new migrants who probably never worked a day in NZ, can just marry someone, get $10k and bring in another 60 year old into NZ to be supported while our pathetic immigration rules and lawyer’s on the immigration trough allow it… https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/376220/10k-11-days-and-one-failed-deportation

        If NZ had generous supports for their own people of the above you could maybe understand it as some sort of generous compassion, but it’s nothing of the sort, because the importation and support of the world’s poorer workforce, drug importers and swindlers and (middle and rich) retirees is clearly at odds with 10,000 Kiwis and new residents waiting for a state house, growing poverty and deprivation and third world and preventable diseases and illnesses in NZ, one of the highest student loan interest rates in the world at one point that was never written off and lowering of educational standards here. (50% of overseas students apparently cheating and who knows how many local ones).

        Not only that, all the labour scams are putting out longstanding and legitimate businesses in food, agriculture and construction who actually pay their staff better, but have no place in this new world of NZ scam workers.

        Within a few years all the conversion of permanent residency subsidised by Kiwi taxes will create massive additional tax payer support like WFF, accomodation supplement and super… so our taxes will no longer be able to go to health and education and upgrading Kiwi lifestyles with taxes like better living standards throughout… taxes will be spread thinner and thinner, 50% already goes on super..

        The immigration Ponzi works because ‘new money’ is coming in, the government is increasing debt, but it will reach a point of no return and then everything will just stop working and we will be Greece, 20% unemployment etc

        (and we know how the ends, with all government assets being privatised and benefits cut).

        • +100 SAVENZ….very well said!

          The Labour coalition NEED to ADDRESS these things NOW!

          ….otherwise next Election people will vote with their feet

          …they wont wont bother to vote

      • +100…re “ensure there are plenty of new arrivals and hundreds of thousands of work permits given out to overseas nationals to work the crap jobs every year with free residency if they take the shit jobs and conditions for a couple of years, so there is zero reason to make a pay increase aka link below.”

        …yes I have noticed this…New Zealanders are gradually being replaced by foreign nationals in supermarkets

        ( these supermarkets should be boycotted…it would not happen in the foreigners own countries ie foreigners being employed rather than locals…and they are probably being supported here by their rich parents….it is a disgrace!)

      • Supermarket owners are stomping on their own workers too.

        Witnessed a nudging- 60-ish NWS worker’s job being made difficult, until she quit. She was a local favourite because she didn’t rush folk through -gentle – and she looked like Katherine Mansfield. She told me she was too slow. Their KPI’s are mounted on a wall out the back.

        I stood at the checkout with K perched atop a ladder beside me, dusting/cleaning a light fitting. At least two health and safety violations. I asked why, and said it was a cleaner’s job, and she said,”I’m cheaper.” Another time, she was cleaning produce shelves. Another check-out person commented to me that K seemed to be doing lots of cleaning.

        I raised K being pressured to quit recently with a trainee manager- or some such – and he flatly denied it. It was when I
        queried him about their nail polish policy.

        Another checkout operator had silvered nails, which I enjoyed looking at – mine being over-gardened – and I was sorry when her little bits of glam vanished. She said the manager told her to remove it, as they were employed on the understanding that they had pale or neutral nail polish.

        The trainee manager/ some such, said that Foodstuffs policy forbade nail varnish as it could crack and harbour bacteria, that folk working with food were not allowed to wear jewellery such as his own wedding ring, as rings harbour bacteria; he said the word bacteria at least a dozen times – I think it was meant to awe me – and I said, “Crap’.

        He said that a customer once died as a result of catching bacteria from Foodstuffs.

        Taking Foodstuff’s apparent nail varnish and finger rings policy to its logical conclusion, every chef, and waitress, and doctor, and nurse in the country should forgo wearing their bacteria-bearing wedding rings. But they don’t – they maintain reasonable stds of personal hygiene. And some bacteria are very friendly.

        I noted to Some Such that every now and then, yep – someone does pick up food poisoning from a deli – but that’s just a reality of everyday life. Supermarkets dictating no wedding or other rings, or pretty nails, I see as yet another unnecessary level of greyness and bruising of individuality.

        When I was a little girl, I would have thought those sparkling silver nails made that check-out operator a princess, and I daresay today’s kids could have been thinking the same, but nope, the manager said, “Remove.”

        • +100 APPLEWOOD….I used to have a wonderful checkout person with black spikey hair and her fingers adorned with sparkling rings….she looked like a punk gypsy and she had a character to match…now she is all grey and no rings

          …in fact they have got rid of most of all of the older NZ women checkout people

          ….ageism and sexism and fascism and betrayal of NZers

          …boycott these supermarkets!

        • Neoliberalism hates workers over 40+ …. 60+ and you are a goner in industries like supermarkets… weird though because pretty often the older folks seemed to have better customer service in particular the bigger stores where the ‘training’ of the employees seems to have a lot to be desired!

          Saying that, truck and bus drivers should be retired at 65 yo or 70 yo max and much greater testing of drivers ability to do the job! There has been at least 2 in the news where there has been fatalities for older truck/bus drivers making mistakes…

          what people don’t realise is that truck/bus driving is a difficult job – the workers need to be in excellent health – with enough breaks – (and of course a vehicle that is roadworthy not with fake documentation) and requires much better wages in line with the responsibility of driving a heavy truck or bus.

          Instead of wasting time with cameras maybe there should be mandatory testing of heavy goods drivers every 2 years and try and get rid of all the fake licenses in that industry while they also clean up the fake WOF for the trucks and buses that are not roadworthy!

          If we had the rail working and trucks made to pay for the damage to the road and with wages and conditions in line with the job responsibility (not relying on fake licenses and migrant workers) then it would have pushed rail to be used a lot more and we would have less dysfunctional transport in NZ.

          At present the entire country has to subsidise trucks and buses in terms of labour and road maintenance and health care from all the accidents and pollution they are causing.

          If they had to go to user pays, then rail would be more viable and the taxpayer investment wasted on buses and trucks could be used to fund rail instead. (provided the change the rail management mindset of bad decisions).

  13. I’m having a hard time seeing any discernible difference between this govt and the last one. But then I’ve been saying that for a long time now. Time for some new parties that are willing to walk a different path that’s focused more on people and compassion.

    • Rubbish. Theres a huge difference, National proved over 9 years that they didnt give a stuff about the people or this country.

  14. And again! No solutions or ideas to solve the problem of Housing, Homelessness or the broken Health ect … just money been thrown at the symtoms of all of the crises that have been predominant for decades.

    WellBeing Budget = Welfare for Neoliberal Retarded Centrist government policy(s) & Incrementalism.

    Nothing changes, if nothing changes.

  15. This government does care more than the last one, but it doesn’t have any transformative policies that will be game changing. They have tied themselves to the traditional strait jacket of the BAU economics, which is demonstrably failing. So it’s hardly surprising that the budget is a sticking plaster on the same old can being kicked again .. Is Jacinda our Obama? We know where that leads.

  16. So they are damned if they do and damned if they dont. What is it with you people. What the…… do you want. Another National Government? You people are so good at sabotaging yourselves. Go right ahead have your “ town hall” conversation with your bullshit Right whingers. If they have any thing substantial to offer they should stand for parliament or get involved rather that putting up their same old tired bullshit. I have been submitting my comments to the Labour Party as requested for what I want. I wanted Mental Health workers, Psychologists to be available in all GP clinics. Thats exactly what this budget has given us. All I have seen in these comments is whingers with nothing substantial to offer. Get off your high horses and get involved. Be part of the change instead of beating up those who are trying to make those changes. For christ sake you lot would be better off living in America then you would really have something to whine about.

    • Jerko – 100% agree. This blog site has recently become the biggest whinge gaggle of yesterdays know alls. It’s hard to read the nonstop criticism coming thru. Do we want Simon as PM? That bunch of A’holes back in again. There’s a huge difference between the coalition lead by Jacinda and National, and everybody knows it.

      • However people might be critical because Labour has fucked up with pathetic impractical and disgusting policies like Kiwibuild…. this has been a screw up for years and was clear even before the election with their Kiwibuild policy on housing that would not work… but the majority of lefties including all the housing support groups like renters unite went and supported it like zombies, without pointing out the obvious flaws of privatisation and how most of the poor are not on $120k so therefore does not really address what it is supposed to aka affordable housing.

        Labour and Greens and NZ First and Natz too also fail to have any understanding of how dysfunctional the construction industry has become, requiring government support to wipe their arses and get them deregulated zoning and cheap unskilled workers so they can make more profit and walk away from yet another building in NZ needing remedial work post build or land turning to liquid faction or destruction post disaster.

        The only reason that Labour limped in last election, was that the furore over the womb, took away the heat from Labour’s previously much talked about policy around Kiwibuild and housing in general (that the majority of home owning Kiwis knew was a crock) and Natz have no friends and screwed over NZ First last time and James Shaw & Greens allowed them to get in.

        Somehow the hard left and unions and left commentators and probably even the Natz believe their own tripe too, and enabled Labour to get away with such an unworkable and destructive housing policy of Kiwibuild which they campaigned around for 9 years (losing every year apart from the thankful womb issue that overtook housing in the critical weeks before the election and their proposal to not bring in capital gains and a their claim they would reduce immigration and not sign the TPPA).

        So criticism is good, and maybe Labour need to take criticism that makes sense on board. Yes there are whiners who nothing will ever make them happy (most of them never vote anyway) but then there are genuine people, and more and more of them, whose lives are being make more precarious from government policy and ideology.

        The obsession with housing in NZ part stems from the precarious nature of paid work in NZ that the government bought in 30 years ago!

        Being a cheerleader is not ok for bad policy even if you hate the Natz too. Too many yes and neoliberal manipulative people around the politicians, which is why politicians are so astonished these days where the elections don’t match the polls.

        Aka maybe ditch the Mochaccino brigade and neoliberal lobby group attendance about the economy and get into the real world where people are working (or not working) and what they care about and more importantly workable policies to implement that.

        • Sadly people are also being less represented, not more in many cases by the rise of charities and organisations that ‘talk’ for vulnerable groups but often under the covers are more talking to getting more donations and support from government for themselves and pass on a percentage to the poor.

          Maybe if there were less middle men and more straight out support (like there used to be) for people who go to a government organisation then there would be more money and more help for more people.

          Aka Compass social housing that gets 3.3 million from taxpayers since 2016 as well as the rents who when analysing it, seem to be offering less service and less fairness for the homeless at a lot more money?

          Government needs to go back to square one, fund housing NZ and get rid of the 10,000 waiting list! Not get hung up on middle class ‘warm dry housing’ to reduce people to battery hens supposedly for their ‘well being’ because lobby groups say so…. if you insulate state houses, put in a heat pump, guess what a hell of a lot better than spending 3.3 million on ‘administration’ of bedsit new builds that are inferior and going to increase mental health issues by all the harassment and overcrowding and obesity by having no gardens!

          30 group committees are what what bought us the fake ‘Meth’ levels with no scientific evidence!

          I recall that someone who was disabled being annoyed at all the abled bodies ‘support’ groups who seem to get the funding rather than directly to the disabled who need it!

          Big issue of monetarisation (aka social bonds in disguise) of poverty. Most of the people involved probably lovely people, but there are often more efficient ways of solving the problems and the talkfests make the government think they are doing something, when they are not actually helping anyone by talking to third parties and thinking their views represent the vulnerable.

          • “Government needs to go back to square one, fund housing NZ and get rid of the 10,000 waiting list! Not get hung up on middle class ‘warm dry housing’ to reduce people to battery hens supposedly for their ‘well being’..” Spot on, Save NZ.

            My generation survived ChCh winters sans heat pumps or heaters in any bedrooms – in fact I think two open fires – one rarely used in the front room – and an incinerator cooker thing in the kitchen were the only heating, and my mother had many children and none of us died – though one was asthmatic – and windows were opened daily for what Ma called, “Fresh air.”

            My convent boarding school in freezing Timaru we slept in the unlined attics under the ceiling- probably previously the maids’ quarters- before getting up at 6.15 am to wash in snow-kissed water. Not only were there no heaters, we didn’t expect them – we didn’t even talk or think about it. Had to do compulsory exercise stuff.

            There’s a bloke, married my oldest sister, said damp and mould in houses could be avoided by having the windows open 30 mins daily as the moisture level in the air was generally higher inside the house than in the the air outside, except when it was actually raining.

            And I reckon that’s true – except where there’s some sort of structural fault, like crude joinery, or holes punched through walls etc

            I use virtually no heating, partly because of the cost, and partly because I have a pathological fairly rational hatred of the electricity companies, and I pit myself against them in trying to minimise their profits. Yesterday I had to provide a shivering offshoot with a blanket to keep himself warm, so am wondering if his house is over-heated…

            • Totally agree, unless the roof or cladding is leaking, the cheapest way to prevent ‘damp’ houses is opening windows each day – the old fashioned, 0 cost, ventilation system that industry doesn’t want to mention and apparently government doesn’t know about. Nor is there any interest in future proofing energy with solar power so that state house and the poor pay less in power which would help kids in poverty.

              You also need to have money to heat houses and apparently the toddler that died in state house with respiratory issues had a heat pump, but the tenants didn’t turn it on (presumably because they could not afford to) so this boggy man about ‘warm, dry’ housing which has mean’t state houses are sold off and new houses (some might think inferior in terms of location and green space) costing a fortune and with many appliances that require poor etc seem to benefit construction, energy and private interests rather than people who need housing.

          • +100…again well said SAVENZ

            …and renovation of existing State Houses must come first before new builds …as you say:

            “Government needs to go back to square one, fund housing NZ and get rid of the 10,000 waiting list! Not get hung up on middle class ‘warm dry housing’ to reduce people to battery hens supposedly for their ‘well being’ because lobby groups say so…. if you insulate state houses, put in a heat pump, guess what a hell of a lot better than spending 3.3 million on ‘administration’ of bedsit new builds that are inferior and going to increase mental health issues by all the harassment and overcrowding and obesity by having no gardens!”

    • Hey we all know this Labour Coalition Government is better than the last John Key Nact Government !

      …but it isn’t good enough!…and we should be able to apply critical thinking and state why

      …btw “Mental Health workers, Psychologists … in all GP clinics ” is great!

      … but if you are homeless it doesn’t get to the root of the problems Homelessness causes eg. stress, poor health, poor finance , poor education , drug addiction, abuse ….and how many homeless people see GPs?

      This is why a home for every New Zealander is the number one priority

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